Current Campaign Summary
Mission to Save Magnimar The Knights of Ozem within Lastwall quickly heard of what transpired within Magnimar and put the word out to any capable fighters to report to Velmuis to help in their efforts to purge the city of the demons and their Blood Fortress. Session #1 The Party Assembles Alec Dunkurk, Ava Dawarin, Baldrick, and Ularis arrived via ship to the port city of Velumis. There, they were brought before Commander Fahol to help aid the Knights of Ozem. Before they could be sent out, she had them travel to the Vaishau Ruin, which was once the fortress of the Whispering Tyrant. Evil is drawn to that place and once every few months, the Knights of Ozem ride out to make sure nothing has made it's home there. Given that they are short on free time, they have decided to send the party there. After dealing with some Worgs on their journey there, they came to discover gnolls had in fact taken hold of the ruin. With the help of some magic, the party flooded the courtyard, causing the gnolls to loose their weapons, shields, and armor to the water. They entered the keep after defeated all but one gnoll, after Ularis branded him with the mark of Sarenrae and let him go. They found a secret cache of magical items and platinum coins behind the throne and a few gnolls arguing within one of the rooms inside. They dispatched the creatures and made their way into the lower level, where they found what appeared to be their chieftain preforming some arcane ritual next to an alter. They eventually defeated this beast and returned to Commander Fahol. Upon return, Commander Fahol gave the party their true mission; They were tasked with escorting an ambassador of Lastwall to gather support and allies for when the battle to retake Magnimar would come. The ambassador is a half elf named Nelin Kon. The party decided to head to the Five Kings Mountains first and speak to the dwarves. Session #2 Mystery at Highhelm The party booked passage from Velumis to take them as close to Highhelm as they could. They stopped in the city of Kerse which none of the party was a fan off. Ava, upset about how the city handled it's natural resoursces to make fancy bricks, statutes, and homes out of rare wood, decided to leave until it was time for the ship to continue on. Ularis decided to begin preaching about Sarenrae within the city square before some members of the Prophecies of Kalistrade. They quickly stopped Ularis from continuing and the party returned to the ship. When they departed, another man dressed very similarly to Ularis got on the ship but said nothing to anyone. The party eventually arrived at Highhelm and found the doors to be blocked by guards. They learned that the High King had been poisoned by one of their own and no magic has been able to awaken him. With the help of Nelin and Ava, they were able to get to the King's chamber and try to aid in his recovery. The High King's Advisor, Harsk Imgar, gave them permission to enter the gate to the Darklands, where they believe the supposed assassin had fled. The party came across a group of injured orcs, who were once the holders of an old dwarven fortress called Deepscar. They told the party that they had a dwarven prisoner but they lost the keep to a force of Drow and Duegar. The party let the orcs be while traveling further underground, looking for this fortress. They eventually came across this fortress, which was being guarded by Duegar. They fought their way into the keep, slaying many of these dwarves and eventually their leader. They found no dwarven prisoner but instead a half orc within the dungeon named Dren. He told the party that he was accused of murder by the dwarves of Highhelm though he claimed to be innocent, he didn't want to cause anymore trouble and wanted to remain in the Darklands. He also told them that there was a dwarven prisoner there named Menord Drigol who claimed to have poisoned the High King of Highhelm and had been hearing whispers. Some Drow showed up shortly before the party attacked and took the dwarf deeper underground. The party freed Dren and went their own ways. Session #3 A Battle with Evil The party was able to quickly catch up to the drow company currently taking Menord deeper into the Darklands. With some positioning of spells and warriors, the party made easy work of the drow soldiers. The commanders made their final stand but the party defeated them, leaving the female alive. They made their way to the dwarf, who had stayed out of the battle. He was sitting on the ground, hands around his ears, talking about voices in his head. After a few questions which got them no where, Ularis and then Baldrick began reading from their books of Sarenrae which caused a black smoke-like essence to begin pouring out of the dwarf. They continued until this essence formed into a Shadow Demon. Recognizing this threat, Alec taunted this demon into his body, under a promise of a more powerful host. The demon took the bait and began taking control of the body, but before the demon could, Alec took his sword and plunged it into his heart, killing himself and taking the demon down with him. The party stood there, silently for awhile, and began preparing to take Alec back to Lastwall and deliver the dwarf and drow commander to the dwarves of Highhelm. Menord, after taking some time to regain some of his memories, gave Ularis a vial which be believed held the cure to whatever the demon made him do to the High King. After handing it over to the High King's advisor, Harsk, they had it examined and determined this was the case. When the High King was fully awake, he called the party to the throne room. There, he promised to aid Lastwall with soldiers and craftsmen. Also, for risking their lives for him and his city, he rewarded each of them a magical item and allowed them to have the item they planned on giving Alec. The party finished their business in the city, they decided to head back to Lastwall to give Alec a proper burial then head to the Hold of Belkzen. Session #4 Saying Good Bye and Moving Forward The party managed to find passage via boat to Vellumis to deliver the body of their fallen companion, Alec, on their way to their next destination, the Hold of Belkzen, home of the orcs. The party discussed a funeral with Commander Fahol and spent the remainder of the day entertaining homeless children. At the funeral, Ava said some words for her fallen ally. Commander Fahol told them to stop at Castle Everstand on their way, the Captain there can help them with information on the orc lands. The party traveled northwest toward the castle. Upon reaching it, they met with Captain Thaum Gauntwood. He informed them that Urgir is one of the few places that won't have them killed on sight and is ruled by Grask Uldeth of the Empty Hand tribe. To better aid them in their journey though these lands, the Captain sent a Half Orc named Draan Gorvald with them. He knows the area and traditions of their people. Upon arrival in Urgir, they immediately went to speak with Grask. After much arguing, they settled on the issue that Grask doesn't trust the people of Lastwall to not attack them if allowed within their borders along with the three other tribes that have joined with the demons controlling Magnimar. He told the party to bring him something that would strengthen his hold on his territory and keep Lastwall back to prove themselves. The party delved deep below the streets of Urgir, which was once one of the dwarves' sky citadels, and explored what they could for an item that would please Grask. They eventually found a magical obsidian greataxe, which pleased Grask enough to even allow one of his slaves to go with Ava, which she requested beforehand when the deal was made. Grask informed the party that the one ruling the three clans who joined the demons, the Black Suns, Blood Trails, and Cleft Heads, is the ruler of the Black Sun tribe, Krun Thruul. They don't know where their main forces are but reports suggest that Krun's son, Arruk, has taken the keep that sits upon Skull Hill. The party set out to find a group of 18 orcs sitting within the keep and the ramparts along the wall. Through a long battle, they fought their way to Arruk who, along with 4 other orcs, had barricaded themselves within the keep. The party was able to keep Arruk alive and use the Shackles of Compliance to force him to tell the party where Krun and his forces were. They had begun building a fortress within the Skittermounds, near the Mindspin Mountains. The party sent Nelin and the slave girl, Belara, back to Urgir to deliver a message to Grask while the party headed to find this fortress with Arruk in chains. Session #5 The Fortress of Krun Thruul The party, with Arruk in toe, headed west into the Skittermounds, a large desert filled with mounds of sand to look for Krun's Fortress. The party came upon a forward camp and after destroying it, decided to rest while Ava used her wild shape to scout out the fortress in the distance. When she returned, she informed them and a very large force of orcs were camped out near the entrance of the fortress. The party discussed and eventually decided on heading north towards the mines and trying to follow them to find another entrance. After clearing out a mining camp, they followed the mines south towards the fortress. They fought the orcs within the walls and barred the doors shut using the orc bodies and tents. Afterwards, they headed inside. The party was able to explore some of the fortress without indecent, even taking out a group of guards. They eventually came upon a prison area but two orcs ran before the party could deal with them. They freed two elven prisoners who took some of the orc's weapons and fled to the courtyard. The party came to a long hallway where 8 orcs had taken position. The orcs began to charge down the hallway and the party began using their ranged attacks to take them down. They defeated the orcs and kept going, coming to the end of the hallway where Krun Thuul and two guards waited. Ularis tried to use Arruk to get Krun to back down but it was not effective. They fought Krun until he was killed by Ularis and then explored the final areas of the fortress. They eventually decided to use Arruk to calm the orcs that remained outside. The party left Arruk and took the slaves, heading east to castle Everstand. Session #6 Finishing the Orc Business After arriving in Castle Everstand, the party got rid of the unwanted gear then headed off to meet with Grask about their arrangement. The Orc leader agreed to call for a meeting with the other leaders but promised the best he can do is grant them safe passage, the others may not want to fight in Lastwall's war. The party decided to head north to the Land of the Linnorm Kings. On their journey, a messagner handed a worn looking letter to Ava. After reading it, she turned to the party and told them her twin sister, Ada, was in trouble. She said she was in Kalsgard which was were the party was headed. Upon arrival, they dicovered that Ada had become infected with lycanthropy, specificly a werebear. The local Ulfen believe that lycanthropy is a blessing from the nature spirits so curing her was looked down upon. Ava decided to rest up to learn a spell to allow herself to speak with the local plants to find what they needed to make a Wolfsbane poison, which would allow Ada another chance to resist this curse. Ularis and Draan went to meet with the King of Kalsgard, Sveinn Blood-Eagle. He told them that he knew of the demons in the south but their lands here were already under attack by a group of ogres and barbarians who follow something called Corinth. Ularis told Sveinn he would take care of this and in exchange Sveinn promsied to summon the other kings to a moot and speak on his behalf. Ava, fearing for her sister, took off late in the night after the party decided to wait til morning to head out. Earlier, Ava had learned that the plant needed for Wolfsbane grew to the north of the city, according to the plants she spoke to. She traveled in wild shape, braving the harsh cold weather. She traveled til morning and found nothing. Disappointed, she headed back and met up with the party and continued with them. They traveled north for two days before coming to a mercenary camp posted outside a 40 foot spire. They asked what they each were doing here, which the mercenaries said they planned on exploring the dungeons below the spire and offer what they find to Corinth. The party asked a few too many questions for these men, as one decided to try and cut Ularis's horse down. Badly injuring it, but not killing it, the horse fell and Ularis attacked along with the rest of the party. They made quick work of the camp. After searching through it, they decided to rest and head into the spire. Session #7 Into Ice Spire The party rested and headed into the tower. After exploring the tower itself, they decided to head below to the dungeon. There they encountered many dangers, from undead to Ice Elementals and even a pit home to a dragon turtle. They eventually made it to the last chamber, where they found a snow white orb with two gold dragons on either side of it. After picking it up, a portal opened that took them to the entrance above. Session #8 The Group's Next Move The party returned to Kalsgard to resupply and rest. They decided to continue north to the Stormspear Mountains to confront Corinth. They ran into the camp of barbarians and ogres who serve Corinth. After defeated them, their leader entered the battle against the party. He got a few hits in but was ultimately defeated by the party. They continued up the mountains where they were almost hit by falling boulders of ice and snow. Baldrick was able to escape and Ava used her magic to get Ularis out of the way while she and Draan were both hit. Ada used her wild shape to dig out while Ularis and Baldrick helped dig Draan out. That's when Ava spotted the dragon flying down from the mountain. They quickly ran for cover and waited, then continued up the path. They reached a large cavern at the top made of ice. Inside, near the back was a large raised platform with the pale lady with white hair sat. She questioned the party and decided they were a threat, revealing her true from as a Young Adult White Dragon. The party was able to defeat the dragon but took some damage in the process. On their way down the mountain, Ava found the flower needed for the Wolfsbane poison that could cure her sister of Lycanthropy. They returned to Kalsgard and informed Sveinn Blood-Eagle of their success. He called the other Linnorm Kings to the city. While they waited, Ularis tracked down someone to make the Wolfsbane poison. They waited until they were called to meet with the Linnorm Kings. Though they were reluctant to fight for outsiders, the party and one of the Kings, a female named White Estrid, convinced the others to join in the fight. As they exited the hall, a gust of wind was felt as a wizard wearing the colors of Lastwall appeared. He told the party that the demons in Magnimar have increased their time table since the party had been quickly gathering allies. The battle was upon them. The party quickly went to Ava's sister and gave her the Wolfsbane. Together, they all were teleported to Vigil, where the plan to take back the city was made. Session #9 The Battle for Magnimar The party headed with the army they gathered to the demon ruled city. There, they were sent inside to find the resistance, if it even existed, and destroy enough seige equipment so the army could fight their way in. After dealing with some demons searching the area, they found 2 scouts that worked for the resistance. After some discussion, the party was taken to the resistance's hideout. They met with their leader, Bahram, who had also enlisted Darian, Kazumi, and Naim-Les, who he had brought back with the help of an unknown cleric of Gorum. With their help, the resistance was trained on hand-to-hand combat, stealth, and had the ability to interrogate demons. The party helped out where they could and rested before the coming battle. The next morning, the party and the resistance spread their numbers throughout the city to destroy all the siege weapons and then open the gates. The party was able to take out the force guarding the siege weapons but at the gate, they were met with the demon's new follower, an Undead Alec trained as an Antipaladin. Though they were reluctant to hurt him, the party was able to defeat this monster and open the gate. During the battle, a host of angels flooded the Blood Fortress above the city and helped turn the battle. The demons retreated back to the Abyss with their fortress and the city was freed. Ava returned to her sister in Vigil and then they returned to their home, along with Draan. Ularis and Baldrick, who had discovered they were half brothers through one of Baldrick's visions, stayed in Magnimar to help rebuild the city and spread the faith of Sarenrae.